FR Doc E7-5377
[Federal Register: March 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 56)]
[Notices]
[Page 13764-13770]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23mr07-61]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children With Disabilities--Technical Assistance Center
for Evidence-Based Practices To Improve the Social-Emotional
Development of Young Children With or At Risk of Disabilities; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326B.
Dates:
Applications Available: March 23, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 6, 2007.
[[Page 13765]]
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local
educational agencies (LEAs); public charter schools that are LEAs under
State law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public
agencies, such as lead agencies, public early intervention service
programs and public early intervention service providers under Part C
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); private
nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States;
Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: This program promotes academic achievement and
improves results for children with disabilities by supporting technical
assistance, model demonstration projects, dissemination of useful
information, and implementation activities that are supported by
scientifically based research.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 663
and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Technical Assistance Center for Evidence-Based Practices To Improve the
Social-Emotional Development of Young Children With or At Risk of
Disabilities
Background:
The early years in a child's life set the foundation for everything
that follows. The social-emotional development of the young child is
grounded in the interaction of early experiences and feelings with
emerging intellectual, linguistic, sensory, and physical abilities. The
formation of healthy personalities, appropriate emotions, mutually
reinforcing relationships, and constructive behaviors establishes the
framework for all other areas of growth, learning, and expression.
Young children with or at risk of disabilities, along with their
families, have special needs for additional or different supports and
guidance. These supports are necessary to ensure the healthy
development of the child in affective, physical, and cognitive domains.
Service providers, policymakers, and other early childhood experts are
becoming increasingly aware of the need for early intervention to
support healthy social-emotional development in young children.
Children from birth through two years old have the highest rates of
abuse and neglect, in comparison to children in older age groups, and
the highest rates of death from victimization (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2004).
In the spring of 2005, a national study conducted at Yale
University (Gilliam, 2005) reported that preschool children, aged three
through five years old, had the highest expulsion rates in the United
States, three times that of school-aged children. These removals from
services were primarily associated with ``behavioral'' issues. National
survey data have documented that 10 to 25 percent of children in low-
income families present problem behaviors in preschool settings, and
their teachers have indicated that these disruptive behavior problems
are the most challenging issues they face (Webster-Stratton & Hammond,
1998; Joseph & Strain, 2003).
Research has documented both short- and long-term benefits from
early childhood interventions that promote positive social-emotional
skills and address challenging behaviors. Specifically, evidence-based
early interventions have been shown to decrease withdrawal, aggression,
non-compliance, and disruption (Strain & Timm, 2001). Early
interventions also foster positive peer relationships, understanding,
friendship, cooperation, and sharing (Denham & Burton, 1998), as well
as improvement in self-control, self-awareness, and self-satisfaction
(Webster-Stratton, 1990). Research also has shown that children's
social-emotional competence is associated with later academic success
or failure in elementary and secondary schools (Walker, et al., 1998;
Reynolds, et al., 2001; Strain & Timm, 2001). In addition, early
interventions that promote healthy social-emotional behavior are tied
to long-term achievement in the post-secondary education and employment
arenas (Barnett, 1993; Karoly, et al., 1998).
In response to findings that abused and neglected children under
the age of three may be eligible for, and benefit from, early
intervention services under Part C of IDEA, Congress amended the Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in June, 2003, to require
State CAPTA agencies to have policies for the referral to the Part C
program of children under the age of three who are involved in a
substantiated case of abuse or neglect (CAPTA children). In December,
2004, section 637(a)(6) of IDEA was amended to require the Part C
program lead agencies to have policies and procedures regarding the
referral to the Part C program of children under the age of three who
are CAPTA children, as well as those who are identified as affected by
illegal substance abuse, or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal
drug exposure.
To further encourage a focus on the social-emotional development of
infants, toddlers, and other young children receiving services under
IDEA, and as part of the State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual
Performance Report (APR) reporting requirements, the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP) requires States to report the percent of
young children, birth through five years old, receiving services under
Parts B and C of IDEA, who show improvement in positive social-
emotional skills (including positive social relationships). Specialized
technical assistance is needed to ensure that early intervention and
early childhood service providers have the knowledge needed to support
positive social-emotional development in infants, toddlers, and other
young children (birth through five) receiving services under IDEA.
Priority:
This priority supports the establishment and operation of a
Technical Assistance Center for Evidence-Based Practices to Improve the
Social-Emotional Development of Young Children With or At Risk of
Disabilities (Center). This Center must identify, disseminate, and
assist in the implementation of the most successful, evidence-based
practices available to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral
functioning of young children with disabilities. For purposes of this
priority, ``young children with disabilities'' means infants and
toddlers from birth through age two with or at risk for developmental
delays or disabilities, and young children ages three through five with
or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities.
[[Page 13766]]
In carrying out its knowledge development activities, the Center
must develop the conceptual framework and research base for
intervention practices and a cohesive decision-making model related to
implementing those practices. The Center's knowledge development
activities must include, but are not limited to--
(a) Developing a conceptual framework for the work of the Center
that includes evidence-based practices that have been shown to improve
early social-emotional outcomes in the context of general learning and
development, and a cohesive decision-making model related to
implementing those practices. The model must incorporate and
distinguish, where appropriate, specific practices targeted toward
infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children with disabilities; and
(b) In year one of the project period, identifying or conducting
syntheses of research on evidence-based interventions or practices that
have been shown to improve social-emotional outcomes for young children
with disabilities, thereby increasing the likelihood that these
children will enter school ready to succeed and participate in
classrooms with their typically developing peers. To the extent
possible, the Center must use the standards established by the What
Works Clearinghouse (http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/reviewprocess/study_standards_final.pdf
). If it is not possible to use these standards,
other rigorous standards must be used to identify evidence-based
interventions and practices. The research syntheses must at a minimum
address--
(1) Developmentally appropriate practices for providers of early
intervention and other services to young children with disabilities
that target the critical components of social-emotional development,
such as social skills and peer interactions, relationships with adults,
recognizing and communicating emotions and desires, problem solving,
and adaptive skills including self-regulation (controlling anger and
impulse);
(2) Evidence-based intervention methods, materials, and curricula
designed for young children that include a focus on social-emotional
development and how these methods and materials can be successfully
modified, adapted, or individualized for young children with
disabilities;
(3) The delivery of evidence-based interventions targeting social-
emotional development in a variety of inclusive settings and natural
environments;
(4) The delivery of family-centered early intervention services
that promote the social-emotional development of infants, toddlers, and
other young children with disabilities eligible for services under Part
C of IDEA;
(5) Empirically-based assessments, including valid and reliable
instruments, for measuring social-emotional development, monitoring
individual growth and progress, supporting data-based decision making,
aggregating individual child data to evaluate program efforts, and
aligning assessments with State early learning, early child
development, or school readiness standards and State reporting
requirements. Assessments also should cover such areas as self-
regulation, response to directions, communication/language, adaptive
functioning, autonomy, affect, and social interaction; and
(6) Effective technical assistance (TA) strategies that lead to
knowledge utilization, sustainable changes in practice, and improved
outcomes.
The Center's TA and dissemination activities must include, but are
not limited to--
(a) Developing and coordinating a national TA network comprised of
a cadre of experts that the Center will use to provide TA to States in
early social-emotional development for young children with
disabilities. In their applications, applicants must describe their
proposal for this network and identify the cadre of experts;
(b) Providing general TA and information on evidence-based
practices that promote the development of social-emotional skills for
young children with disabilities to SEAs, lead agencies and other
public agencies, service providers, and other stakeholders in all
States. This TA and information must reflect the on-going work of the
Center to provide up-to-date information on practices that enhance
early social-emotional development of young children with disabilities.
TA and information must be provided through a variety of vehicles
(e.g., Web site; listserv; presentations at national, regional, or
State conferences; and conducting national training institutes). The
Center's TA and information must be designed to develop the capacity of
service providers to use high quality, evidence-based practices in the
various inclusive settings and natural environments in which young
children with disabilities are served, including the home, community-
based settings and programs for typically developing children, other
early intervention settings (if identified as appropriate for infants
and toddlers), and, for preschool children aged three through five,
inclusive or other appropriately-identified preschool, early childhood
special education, and related service settings. With respect to
children receiving services under Part C of IDEA, the TA and
information must include identification of family-centered early
intervention services that promote children's social and emotional
development. The application must describe the approaches being
proposed to provide general TA and information;
(c) In years one and two of the project period, identifying or
developing and evaluating models that are based on evidence-based or
promising practices and interventions, and that include assessments
that promote the development of social-emotional competence in young
children with disabilities in a minimum of five local communities of
different types (rural, urban, suburban, etc.) serving children from
diverse backgrounds in a variety of settings (such as Head Start
Programs, early childhood special education programs, home-based
programs, State-funded pre-kindergarten programs, etc). While the
critical elements of the models should be consistent across the five
settings, the models may contain modifications or adaptations that are
based on the setting context. Models must be identified or developed
for providers and programs serving young children with disabilities
under Part C and Part B of IDEA. Models must include the creation and
implementation of professional development plans that enhance early
childhood professionals' implementation of evidence-based and high
quality interventions and practices. Professional development plans
must include early intervention and early childhood special education
providers and may include other early care and education providers
serving young children with disabilities, such as providers in Head
Start/Early Head Start, child care, school-based preschools funded
under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (ESEA), and State-funded pre-kindergarten programs. The Center
must document factors that facilitate fidelity of implementation and
are necessary to sustain the model;
(d) In years three, four, and five of the project period,
facilitating the development of State-wide or regional TA networks
specifically focused on increasing the use of evidence-based practices
that improve social-emotional outcomes of young children with
disabilities by scaling-up models identified and/or developed and
evaluated in years one and two in accordance with paragraph (c). These
TA networks must include systems for
[[Page 13767]]
training and supporting State-funded or program-funded ``coaches'' who
will provide TA to regional, State, and local early intervention and
early childhood special education programs and providers, and other
early childhood professionals and agencies serving young children with
disabilities (such as Head Start/Early Head Start, child care, school-
based preschool programs funded under Title I of the ESEA, and State-
funded pre-kindergarten programs). These TA networks also must include
State and local early childhood program administrators (Part C early
intervention lead agency staff and early intervention service
providers, Part B early childhood staff, section 619 IDEA coordinators,
child care administrators, Head Start administrators, and pre-
kindergarten administrators), families, early childhood professional
development experts (including experts from community colleges and
other IHEs), researchers, early childhood TA experts, and others. The
Center must allocate sufficient resources and time to develop strong TA
networks and must give priority to working with States or regions most
in need. Applicants must describe in their applications the process for
creating sustainable networks and criteria for choosing the States or
regions with whom they will work, including child outcome data reported
on State Annual Performance Reports. This State selection process must
involve consultation with OSEP; and
(e) Developing and implementing a plan for involving and
communicating with families on the work of the Center. This plan must
be developed in collaboration with OSEP-funded parent programs,
including representatives from both the Parent Training and Information
Centers and the Community Parent Resource Centers funded by the
Department, and must include strategies to ensure involvement and
communication with diverse and hard-to-reach families;
(f) Coordinating the Center's and the TA networks' activities with
other IDEA-funded early intervention and early childhood special
education TA centers. For example, the Center must build on the work of
other federally funded early childhood projects where applicable, such
as the Research and Training Center in Early Childhood Development and
the Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging
Behavior. The Center must coordinate activities with the National Early
Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC), the Regional Resource
Centers (RRCs), and the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center;
(g) Coordinating the Center's and the TA networks' activities with
other national, regional, State, and local early childhood training and
TA efforts, including but not limited to efforts that target Head
Start/Early Head Start, child care, school-based preschool programs
under Title I of the ESEA, and State-funded pre-kindergarten programs.
The Center should coordinate with the Center on the Social and
Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL), a joint project of
the Office of Head Start and the Child Care Bureau in the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services;
(h) Evaluating the Center's and TA networks' activities by
measuring the impact of TA activities on early childhood program and
service professionals and families of young children with disabilities.
Specifically, the Center must document what these practitioners and
families learned and how TA affected their use of evidence-based
practices that promote positive social-emotional development in young
children with disabilities; and
(i) Maintaining a Web site that is available to early childhood
professionals and families and includes all TA materials prepared by
the Center in a format that meets a government or industry-recognized
standard for accessibility.
The Center also must--
(a) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with a national
advisory group that includes families of young children with
disabilities, early intervention service providers and early childhood
special education providers, experts in early childhood psychology and
development, national early childhood organizations, and community
members involved with young children with disabilities. The national
advisory group will be responsible for providing annual feedback on the
plans, activities, and accomplishments of the Center;
(b) Maintain ongoing communication with the OSEP Project Officer,
including monthly conference calls. Budget for a three-day Project
Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year of the project,
plus one additional two-day trip annually to Washington, DC to attend
additional national meetings and to meet and collaborate with the OSEP
Project Officer and other funded projects for purposes of cross-project
collaboration and information exchange; and
(c) Budget five percent of the grant amount annually to support
emerging needs as identified jointly through consultation with the OSEP
project officer.
Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:
In deciding whether to continue funding the Center for the fourth
and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a), and in addition--
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary, which review will be conducted during the
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must
budget for travel expenses associated with this one-day intensive
review;
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the
Center; and
(c) The degree to which the project promotes best practices in the
area of IDEA and other services to young children with disabilities.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested
parties the opportunity to comment on a proposed priority. However,
section 681(d) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements under the
APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463 and 1481(d).
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
References
Barnett, W.S. (1993). Benefit-cost analysis of preschool education:
Findings from a 25-year follow-up. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 63, 500-508.
Denham, S.A., & Burton, R. (1996). A social-emotional intervention
for at-risk 4-year-olds. Journal of School Psychology, 34, 225-245.
Gilliam, W.S. (2005). Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion
rates in state prekindergarten systems. Amherst: Yale (Retrieved
July 20, 2005, from http://www.fcd-us.org/PDFs/National
PreKExpulsionPaper03.02--new.pdf)
Joseph, G.E., & Strain, P.S. (2003). Comprehensive evidence-based
social emotional curricula for young children: An analysis of
efficacious adoption potential. Topics in Early Childhood Special
Education, 23, 65-76.
Karoly, L.A., Greenwood, P.W., Everingham, S.S., Hoube, J., Kilburn,
M.R., Rydell,
[[Page 13768]]
C.P., Sanders, M., & Chiesa, J. (1998). Investing in our children:
What we know and don't know about the costs and benefits of early
childhood interventions. Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
Reynolds, A.J., Temple, J.A., Robertson, D.L., & Mann, E.A. (2001).
Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on educational
achievement and juvenile arrest: A 15-year follow-up of low-income
children in public schools. Journal of the American Medical
Association, 285, 2339-2346.
Strain, P.S., & Timm, M.A. (2001). Remediation and prevention of
aggression: An evaluation of the Regional Intervention Program over
a quarter of a century. Behavioral Disorders, 26, 297-313.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on
Children, Youth and Families. Child Maltreatment 2004 (Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2006).
Walker, H.M., Kavanagh, K., Stiller, B., Golly, A., Severson, H.H.,
& Feil, E.G. (1998). First Step to Success: An early intervention
approach for preventing school antisocial behavior. Journal of
Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 6, 66-80.
Webster-Stratton, C. (1990). Long-term follow-up of families with
young conduct-problem children: From preschool to grade school.
Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19, 144-149.
Webster-Stratton, C. & Hammond, M. (1998). Conduct problems and
level of social competence in Head Start children: Prevalence,
pervasiveness, and associated risk factors. Clinical Child
Psychology, 65, 93-109.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; public charter schools that are
LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies, such as lead
agencies, public early intervention service programs and public early
intervention service providers under Part C of IDEA; private nonprofit
organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; Indian tribes
or tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of
IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this competition
must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals
with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and
evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.326B.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section
VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 70 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the coversheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 23, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2007.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under For Further Information Contact.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 6, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are
continuing to participate as a partner in the new
[[Page 13769]]
government wide Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2007. The Technical
Assistance Center for Evidence-Based Practices to Improve the Social-
Emotional Development of Young Children With or At Risk of
Disabilities, CFDA Number 84.326B, is one of the programs included in
this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.grants.gov. Through this
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Technical
Assistance Center for Evidence-Based Practices to Improve the Social-
Emotional Development of Young Children With or At Risk of Disabilities
at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable
application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include
the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through
the site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your
application if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system
later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we
will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was
date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of
the application and the speed of your Internet connection.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the
application deadline date to begin the application process through
Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure
that you submit your application in a timely manner to the
Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission
Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at
http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process
(see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These
steps include (1) Registering your organization, (2) registering
yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), and (3)
getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these
steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see
http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration.
Please note that the registration process may take five or more
business days to complete, and you must have completed all
registration steps to allow you to successfully submit an
application via Grants.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize
you if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including
all information typically included on the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you
choose to submit your application electronically, you must attach
any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If
you upload a file type other than the three file types specified
above or submit a password protected file, we will not review that
material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you
will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve
your application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation
by e-mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures
on forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date,
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.
Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system.
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to
the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.326B), 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260 or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326B), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service,
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier, or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
[[Page 13770]]
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the Application for Federal Assistance
(SF 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the
competition under which you are submitting your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that
will yield information on various aspects of the Technical Assistance
and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities program. These measures focus on: the extent to which
projects provide high quality products and services, the relevance of
project products and services to educational and early intervention
policy and practice, and the use of products and services to improve
educational and early intervention policy and practice.
Grantees will be required to provide information related to these
measures.
Grantees also will be required to report information on their
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (34 CFR
75.590).
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Dr. Beth Caron, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4066, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7293.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request by contacting the following office: The Grants and
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 245-7363.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: March 19, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E7-5377 Filed 3-22-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P